Christine Blank, a veteran freelance writer and editor, covers all aspects of the seafood industry, from fishing to processing to selling and serving the final product. When she is not writing for SeafoodSource, Christine gets to taste scrumptious seafood dishes at U.S. restaurants for her food and travel blog, Flavorful Excursions (www.flavorfulexcursions.net). Christine loves to eat seafood of any kind, but lobster, crab and crawfish are among her favorites. In addition to SeafoodSource.com and SeaFood Business, Christine’s articles have been published in hundreds of leading magazines and newspapers, such as The New York Times, USA Today and Associated Press.
Author Archive
U.S. retailers and restaurateurs are expecting high upcoming seafood sales as the 40-day Lenten season kicks off the same day as Valentine’s Day on 14 February.
“There is normally a bump for seafood on Valentine’s Day, but with Lent on top of that, it should be a banner week for seafood,” Jason Resner, the meat and seafood sales, merchandising, and procurement lead for Downers Grove, Illinois, U.S.A.-based retailer Fresh
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The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has forecasted restaurant sales to exceed USD 1.1 trillion (EUR 1 trillion) in 2024.
Nearly eight in 10 restaurant operators anticipate their sales will either increase (33 percent) or at least hold steady (45 percent) compared to last year, according to the NRA’s “2024 State of the Restaurant Industry Report.”
However, 97 percent of restaurant operators say they are still struggling
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U.S. foodservice outlets sold more shrimp year over year in 2023, due in part to lower prices, and more outlets included shrimp on their menus, improving the products' countrywide menu penetration.
However, customers bought less average volume per visit, and foodservice businesses used an average of 20 pounds less volume per establishment, according to Performance Food Group Vice President of Procurement Michael Seidel.
Foodservice outlets have
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A slew of new seafood products are hitting shelves and freezers in U.S. supermarkets in February 2024.
Essen, Germany-based retailer ALDI is offering specials on several of its private-label seafood products in February and is launching pollock portions for the first time. Available from 28 February onward, the pollock portions – coming in the form of sandwiches in original and dill pickle flavors under the company’s Fremont Fish
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued contracts cumulatively worth USD 32.5 million (EUR 30 million) to several U.S. Gulf of Mexico wild shrimp suppliers.
After asking for bids in mid-January 2024, the USDA awarded the majority of the contracts for 385,000 cases of peeled and deveined shrimp to New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Paul Piazza & Son for USD 15.1 million (EUR 14 million).
Lafitte, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Lafitte Frozen
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After a rough year for U.S. shrimp importers, the outlook for the first half of 2024 continues to be relatively grim.
A panel of executives speaking at the 2024 Global Seafood Marketing Conference – which took place from 23 to 25 January in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. – said the first half of 2024 will likely see a contraction across the seafood industry, particularly with shrimp imports, in the wake of a difficult
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A U.S. federal judge set a trial date of 24 March 2024 for the contentious trademark infringement lawsuit brought against Pike Place Fish Market (PPFM) – the iconic fresh seafood market inside Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. – by the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA).
In a lawsuit filed in September 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, PDA, which
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Chicken of the Sea has formed a partnership with recording artist Jessica Simpson to appeal to Millennials and younger demographics.
The campaign and a recently launched sweepstakes are also a way for the El Segundo, California, U.S.A.-based shelf-stable seafood firm, owned by Thai Union Group, to promote its grab-and-go Chicken of the Sea Wild Caught Tuna and Salmon packets launched last fall.
Simpson, a singer, actress, and reality television
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After a nearly three-week strike, US Foods reached a contract agreement with the Teamsters Local 705 union, which represents US Foods drivers in Bensenville, Illinois, U.S.A.
The new five-year agreement provides wage, benefits, and healthcare contributions increases that build on the “highly competitive offerings drivers in Bensenville, Illinois, currently receive,” the Rosemont, Illinois-based foodservice giant said.
The
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Seafood sales at U.S. retail stores dipped in 2023 due to high levels of inflation, tighter purchasing power for consumers, and a number of other factors.
After two years of higher sales and retailers effectively moving through built-up inventory, demand for seafood fell in 2023, leaving the entire supply chain scrambling to find solutions, H-E-B Vice President of Seafood Jason Driskill told SeafoodSource at the 2024 Global Seafood Marketing
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